Oliver Laxe's controversial film Sirāt, which jointly won the jury prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, has become one of the most divisive cinematic releases of the year. While receiving critical superlatives from some quarters, the Moroccan desert drama leaves many viewers frustrated and bewildered by its unconventional narrative approach.
A Father's Desperate Search
The film opens with a powerful scene set at a rave in the Moroccan desert, where teeming crowds of people create an ambiguous spectacle that resembles both Dionysian celebration and lost souls writhing in hell. Into this surreal environment arrive middle-aged Luis, portrayed by veteran Spanish actor Sergi López, and his young son Esteban, played by Bruno Núñez Arjona.
The pair, accompanied by their dog Pipa, are searching for Luis's missing teenage daughter, Mar, who vanished months earlier. Luis desperately hands out leaflets with his daughter's photograph to the ravers, including characters played by Richard 'Bigui' Bellamy, Jade Oukid, Stefania Gadda, and street-performer Tonin Janvier.
From Promise to Perdition
When the army arrives to break up the desert rave, the story takes a dramatic turn. Bigui and his companions defiantly drive away to find another party in the remote vastness, with Luis following in his car, convinced they might hold clues to his daughter's disappearance.
However, what begins as an intriguing premise soon descends into what many describe as Pythonesque perdition. The film's dual narrative possibilities fade into nothingness as the story disappears into the sand, abandoning interesting questions about whether the hippies and Luis could learn from each other.
Visual Beauty Versus Narrative Confusion
Despite its narrative shortcomings, Sirāt contains moments of visual brilliance. As with Laxe's earlier film Mimosas, there are wonderful visual moments and stylish shots of the Moroccan desert landscape that showcase the director's eye for cinematography.
The film's title refers to the Arabic word for the narrow, perilous path to paradise, but many viewers found the journey ultimately leads nowhere. A moment of tragic horror halfway through the film fails to resonate emotionally, appearing coercive and even slightly farcical according to some critics.
Later explosions in the desert contribute to the growing sense of ridiculousness as the film progresses. In their despair following tumultuous events, the characters turn to psychoactive substances and electronic music, but the film's doors of perception remain closed to the audience.
Sirāt is now showing in US cinemas and will be released in the UK on 27 February. While impressive in its opening ten minutes, many will find it becomes increasingly valueless as it proceeds, creating what one critic called a pointless mirage of unearned emotion.
